Use of catalogues of paleo, historical and recent seismicity for the estimation of seismic hazard in codes for earthquake-resistant building in Germany

Specific seismic hazard maps and detailed procedures for the calculation of seismic hazard are the basis of codes and rules which determine the construction and the operation of ordinary buildings and industrial facilities to withstand relevant seismic loads. The paper will primarily address the data foundations which are used to calculate seismic hazard, especially catalogues of paleo seismic data, historical seismicity and modern earthquake monitoring as well as further important input parameters. In Germany, Eurocode 8 and its German National Annex are used for most ordinary buildings. It contains a regional map of probabilistic hazard of Germany and a map of the geological underground classes to be used for local seismic hazard assessment. Earthquakes up to about 500 years return period are considered. On the basis of Eurocode 8, a related rule was developed to be used in case of chemical industry facilities. For nuclear installations there is a rule of the German Nuclear Technical Committee called KTA 2201.1 (‚Kerntechnische Anleitung‘). The specific requirements include the consideration of earthquakes with return periods of up to 100.000 years and the evaluation of local paleoseismic data. Long return periods are attributed to rarely occurring strong earthquakes and lead to higher levels of seismic hazard. Additionally, a code for different kinds of dam structures is used in Germany (DIN19700). Is is related to Eurocode 8 but requires longer return periods up to 10.000 years. Finally, the present requirements in the German selection process for a repository of high-level nuclear waste are summarized.